Wimbledon: Johanna Konta eyes final

Konta’s rise is a boost for British tennis

The days of agonising over Tim Henman’s Wimbledon semi-final defeats seem a distant memory. Yesterday, Johanna Konta became the first British woman to reach a semi-final at The Championships since 1978.

Konta’s resilience in her 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 win over Romanian Simona Halep has earned the World No.7 many plaudits. Prior to 2017, Konta had only won once at Wimbledon, that was against Monica Puig in 2016. Konta’s progression is a remarkable story, she broke into the top-50 in 2015. Then in 2016, Konta’s WTA title at Stanford, and a runner-up spot at Beijing propelled her into the WTA top-10 rankings.

Konta faces the five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in tomorrow’s semi-final. The 26-year-old has got 11 years on Williams and this will be the first time that the pair goes head-to-head on a grass court. Konta is 3 games to 2 in the head-to-head with Williams. Their last meeting came at the Italian Open, Rome, Williams won that match 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.

Defending champion Andy Murray takes on 6th seed Milos Raonic in the quarter-final at 1 pm. If Murray wins, it will be the first time that Britain will have players in both the men’s and the women’s semi-finals since the 1960s.

After the whole Dan Evans cocaine situation it’s quite nice to see the likes of Watson and Bedene doing as well as they did last week. Amazing what Konta has done. She had only ever won one game at Wimbledon before this year. Remarkable achievement. Dan Rawly – In The Stand Sport

There is so much at stake for both players. Can Konta overcome nerves and high-expectations to produce the type of reslient performance that has earned here a spot in the semi-finals? Williams will call on all of her tournament experience in the quest to win a 6th Wimbledon title. It promises to be a fascinating match.